About me

My name is Amy and I've been blogging on CDG since 2005. A mama of two living in Colorado, I'm passionate about attachment parenting, health and wellness, green living, essential oils, urban homesteading and unschooling/home schooling.

After taking a break from Netflix for several months, Jody and I signed back up again over the holidays. In addition to having a steady stream of movies that way, my sister brought a few movies with her to watch during her visit. As a result, I’ve seen my fair share of flicks lately.

SYNOPSIS:
A provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial conflict in America, CRASH is that rare cinematic event – a film that challenges audiences to question their own prejudices. Diving headlong into the diverse melting pot of post-9/11 Los Angeles, this compelling urban drama tracks the volatile intersections of a multi-ethnic cast, examining fear and bigotry from multiple perspectives as characters careen in and out of one anotherâ€™s lives. No one is safe in the battle zones of racial strife. And no one is immune to the simmering rage that sparks violence – and changes lives…

Wow. What a powerful movie. I knew it was about racism, but I had no idea to what degree.

It’s frightening, eye-opening and heart-wrenching, yet it is also thought-provoking and full of hope. I was in tears during a few scenes, both surprised and amazed by what my eyes were watching.

There’s no guessing how this movie will unfold. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what will come next, but fearing it at the same time.

“Crash” has an all-star cast, is very well-acted and was excellently done. Because of the strong themes, language, etc., it is definitely not appropriate for all ages, but I really think this movie should be required viewing for all adults in America. Perhaps it will open some minds and some hearts.

Carrie brought March of the Penguins with her on her visit to our house. She and I watched it together one night while Jody was out playing DnD, then Jody and I watched it again together a couple nights ago.

Synopsis: Each winter, alone in the Antarctica, a truly remarkable journey takes place as it has done for millennia. Thousands of Emperor penguins abandon the deep blue security of their ocean home and clamber onto the frozen ice to begin their long journey into a region so bleak, so extreme, it supports no other wildlife at this time of year. In single file, the penguins march blinded by blizzards, buffeted by gale force winds.

They head for their traditional breeding ground where – after a ritual courtship of intricate dances and delicate maneuvering, accompanied by a cacophony of ecstatic song – they will pair off into monogamous couples and mate. The females remain long enough only to lay a single egg. The males are left behind to guard and hatch the precious eggs, which they cradle at all times on top of their feet. Subjected to subzero temperatures and the terrible trials of the polar winter, they face great dangers.

After two months during which the males eat nothing, the eggs begin to hatch. The chicks can not survive for long on their fathers’ limited food reserves. If their mothers are late returning from the ocean with food, the newly-hatched young will die.

Once the families are reunited, the roles reverse, the mothers remaining with their new young while their mates head, exhausted and starved, for the sea, and food. As the weather grows warmer and the ice floes crack and melt, the adults march many hundreds of miles over some of the most treacherous territory on Earth, until the chicks are ready to take their first faltering dive into the deep blue waters of the Antarctic.

This movie is filled with some amazing, beautiful cinematography capturing the lives of some amazing creatures.

It was really sweet and beautiful to see how tender the male and female penguins are with each other during their courtship and mating.

And then, after the mother lays the egg, it was awe-inspiring to see the way the parents care for their new egg, and eventually, their baby. Talk about Attachment Parenting (especially for the daddies)! ;)

After seeing some real doozies lately, it was refreshing to find a great movie that was safe for the whole family. Ava especially loved seeing the baby penguins.

I figured I’d snag this meme after seeing it over at True Blue Semi-Crunchy Mama (aka Running2Ks) and Knocked Up Vegan (aka Miriam).
4 Jobs Iâ€™ve had:
Mother/homemaker
Newsroom office manager
Salesperson in the shoe dept. at K-mart
Customer service rep at a bank

4 Movies I can watch over & over:
Breakfast Club
When Harry Met Sally
The Princess Bride
Napoleon Dynamite

4 Places Iâ€™ve Lived:
Colorado
Michigan
Oklahoma
(uh, that’s all)

4 Books I Love:
Our Babies – Ourselves by Meredith Small
The Bridge Across Forever by Richard Bach
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent

4 Shows:
Arrested Development
My Name is EarlLOST (when I remember to watch it)
Desperate Housewives (I admit it)
Smallville!!Edited to add: OMG, I can’t believe I forgot to put Smallville on here, which I admit to being totally addicted to. Who can resist Clark? ;) So I’m changing my answers to include Smallville and delete LOST. (Sorry, LOST fans.)

Under the proposal from Sen. Deanna Hanna (D-Lakewood), businesses would be required to set aside a “quiet, private” location for the process (breastfeeding) and would specifically exclude a toilet stall as a location for the breastfeeding. In addition, the measure calls for two separate 20-minute paid breaks for the new mother in addition to whatever lunch break is allowed.

Sen. Deanna Hanna said, “It’s a simple accommodation (for businesses). It’s short-term. We all know people who smoke get those accommodations to leave the building for periods of time during the day and that’s part of their work day. I think nursing babies is a lot healthier than taking smoking breaks.”

Well said, Senator. :)
I hope this passes.

(The wording seems a bit unclear, but I assume this applies to mothers who choose to pump their breastmilk at work, not just actually breastfeed.)